These Are the Nine Lawmakers from Pennsylvania Who Voted Against Restoring Voting Rights

A poster bearing the image of voting rights icon John Lewis is seen during a news conference after the House of Representatives passed the The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in Washington, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)

By Haley O'Brien

August 25, 2021

The partisan vote for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act illustrates strong divide on American issues as fundamental as the right to vote.

House Democrats passed a bill to restore voting rights. Now it’s up to the US Senate.

The bill, named after the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis, aims to continue his fight to protect Americans’ right to vote.

While every Democrat voted yes, all Republicans voted no on this bill. 

President Joe Biden thanked House Democrats and encouraged the Senate to move it forward.

It’s unlikely that it will pass in the Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the bill “unnecessary,” claiming that voter suppression is not an issue.

What Is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act?

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that prevent voter suppression, particularly to people of color. States will no longer be able to pass anti-voter laws such as limiting access to polling places or ballot boxes. 

This bill reverses a 2013 US Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to change their voting laws without federal approval. 

Republicans, who spent the last year discrediting the 2020 presidential election, continue to disagree with Democrats on what a fair election process looks like.

This partisan vote illustrates the strong divide between parties on American issues as fundamental as the right to vote.

Who Voted Against the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act?

  • Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) 
  • John Joyce (R-Blair) 
  • Fred Keller (R-Snyder) 
  • Mike Kelly (R-Butler)
  • Dan Meuser (R-Luzerne) 
  • Scott Perry (R-York)
  • Guy Reschenthaler (R-Allegheny)
  • Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster) 
  • Glenn Thompson (R-Centre) 

Full Pennsylvania Roll Call 

  • Brendan F. Boyle (D-Philadelphia) Yea
  • Matt Cartwright (D-Lackawanna) Yea
  • Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) Yea
  • Michael F. Doyle (D-Allegheny) Yea
  • Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia) Yea
  • Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) Nay
  • Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester) Yea
  • John Joyce (R-Blair) Nay
  • Fred Keller (R-Snyder) Nay
  • Mike Kelly (R-Butler) Nay
  • Conor Lamb (D-Allegheny) Yea
  • Dan Meuser (R-Luzerne) Nay
  • Scott Perry (R-York) Nay
  • Guy Reschenthaler (R-Allegheny) Nay
  • Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware) Yea
  • Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster) Nay
  • Glenn Thompson (R-Centre) Nay
  • Susan Wild (D-Lehigh) Yea

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